Butte County prosecutors say a septic tank was not the first choice when it came to finding a place for 44-year-old Anthony Yee to dump the body of his dead mother.
Yee appeared in Butte Superior Court Tuesday to face murder charges in the death of 66-year-old Judy Nathan, his own mother. He did not enter a plea.
Her body was found at home in a septic tank Friday after co-workers notified Chico Police that Nathan had not reported for work in the past few days.
Four days later, more details of Nathan's horrific death are coming out.
"Yee broke into the house and was lying in wait for her in the dark when she came home," said Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey. "Then he killed her with a combination of strangulation and hammer blows."
Ramsey said Yee put her mother's body in the back of her pickup and drove around the area to try to find a place to dump her. He would end up coming back to her mother's White Avenue home where he put her in an underground septic tank.
"At this point there is still a great deal of evidence to go through," Ramsey said.
Investigators say neighbors told them that they heard arguing inside the house a few days before Nathan was found on Friday.
Yee is due back in court Thursday when he is expected to enter a plea.
